Tuesday 3 March 2015

Mmitseng Ntshonga, Top Paper Award Winner, Botswana


Mmitseng Ntshonga, an ABE student from Botswana, is studying the ABE Diploma in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality (QCF), and won a Top Paper Award in the June 2014 exams for the unit Introduction to Travel, Tourism and Hospitality. Here, she tells us a little about herself and the inspiration for her success.

I am a highly motivated person who is always willing to put in effort towards my success. I set targets that I look to every day, and come up with ideas which will help me to meet these, as focus and targets will get you somewhere.

The thing that inspired me to study with ABE was my dissatisfaction with my  BGCSE marks: I knew I could accomplish more than what I had. This really pained me, and therefore when I was admitted at New Era College (which offers ABE’s courses), one thing that I told myself was that I could do better, and go to higher places which other students in our country fail to reach.
Botswana is one of the main tourism destinations in Africa – its natural beauty encompasses wildlife, including zebras and elephants, and also the Okavango Delta. These aspects of Botswana’s natural beauty encouraged me to dream big, seeing myself as a businesswoman offering what our country has to tourists. After finishing my studies my aim is to own a hotel, camp, or lodge, or to run a company operating tours of Botswana. It is perceived in the local community that there are few women who can make it in the business world, but I want to show those people who criticize women that we can make it. Hence my career plan is to run an efficient, world-class business.

I am a young lady of many dreams – my other dream is to become a lecturer in one of the institutions offering ABE courses, as the ABE Diploma in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality has developed my knowledge, skills and attitudes to such an extent that it showed me that with confidence and trust of oneself you can conquer anything.


After finishing the Advanced Diploma in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality at New Era College my wish is to continue with my studies to degree level, in order to fulfill my dreams of becoming a businesswoman or a lecturer. With ABE I know and trust that these dreams will come true.



Interview taken from February 2015 edition of Student Focus - the free magazine for ABE members.